Palmer Ranch developer donates $50,000 to diversion court program

Sarasota County developer and attorney Hugh Culverhouse Jr. has contributed $50,000 to support the Sarasota County Mental Health Court, a diversion program that helps move individuals with mental issues out of the jails and into treatment programs. 

The funds will be directed to the Comprehensive Treatment Court, a program that delivers services to individuals who commit nonviolent offenses and suffer from severe mental health disorders.

“As a former federal prosecutor, I know first hand how important these programs are in diverting people from the criminal justice system,” said Culverhouse, CEO and owner of Palmer Ranch holdings, in a news release. “For individuals whose criminal acts are a direct result of their mental illness, they should not be treated in the same way as criminals.” 

Repeated arrests on minor charges clog court dockets, lead to overcrowding and expenses in the county jail, and find defendants trapped in an endless cycle of personal and financial challenges. Treating the underlying mental illness for defendants who have committed certain non-violent offenses and do not have a significant criminal history, instead of detaining and prosecuting them, helps reduce the likelihood of repeated and possibly escalating criminal behavior. In most cases, crimes committed by individuals due to their mental illness are low misdemeanors such as trespassing, theft, public intoxication and other nonviolent crimes.

Sarasota County Judge Erika Quartermaine founded the Comprehensive Treatment Court in 2017 after presiding over a number of cases involving defendants repeatedly arrested for non-violent offenses. The program is modeled after one in Miami-Dade County. 

Funding for CTC comes from a grant from Florida’s Department of Children and Families, Sarasota County, city of Sarasota and private donations. It incorporates collaboration among the courts, law enforcement agencies and social service organizations.

As of May 2023, Comprehensive Treatment Court in Sarasota County has:

• Served 440 participants.
• Saved Sarasota County $13.47 million via arrest diversions.
• Helped 90% of participants obtain work or benefits.
• Shown a recidivism rate of 22% compared to 66% national average.